Published Resources Details
Journal Article
- Title
- On thunderstorm wind gusts in Australia
- In
- Civil Engineering Transactions
- Imprint
- vol. CE18, no. 2, Institution of Engineers Australia, 1976, pp. 33-39
- Description
Paper No.3545 was submitted by the authors on March 5, 1976.
Mr. L. Gomes, MIEAust, is with Soros-Longworth and McKenzie, Consulting Engineers, Sydney.
Dr. B. J. Vickery, MIEAust, is Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.[This paper was highly commended in the judgement of the W. H. Warren Memorial Prize 1976]
- Abstract
The paper presents statistical information on thunderstorms in Australia which facilitates the determination of design wind speeds.
The results presented enable return periods of extreme thunderstorm gust speeds to be readily computed and provides directional breakdowns to sixteen compass points so that thunderstorm gust directions may be incorporated into the design of structures. A simplified method that requires only computer compatible data available from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology is initially vindicated in a detailed study of data recorded at Observatory Hill, Sydney. The method is then applied to data recorded at 33 meteorological stations throughout the Continent. In the course of the detailed study of Observatory Hill data, observations
are made on thunderstorm occurrences, wind intensities and directions, and gust factors. In addition, the significance of thunderstorms with respect to extreme wind gusts in Sydney is gauged from comparisons with the relatively steady winds of extensive mature pressure systems. Although a detailed study is only made of Observatory Hill data, the techniques employed may be applied to any other meteorological station, so that the detailed study may be regarded as illustrative as well as vindicative.